The village cradle the heart of tradition, where every sunrise brings forth a symphony of nature and the gentle hum of community life.
Nestled admisdst lush green forests, winding rivers or rolling hills, our village is a testament to the simplicity and harmony of native life.
Nia slowly opened her eyes, the darkness receded , revealing the familiar contours of her bed room. But something felt off. A heavy fog has settled over her body, weighing her limbs down ,, making it hard for her to move….
" I mostly wake up early,,, but today was different,, I couldn't drag myself out of bed….
Maybe ,, just maybe it was because of my nightmares….
It's exactly eight years since Baba died….
Nightmares of him always plug my mind
Refusing to let my poor mind rest….
"Oh God, you look horrible my child,,, I could see the wearisome look on my Makuna' face…
The nightmares again ?????
Sit down child...…
She stood up,,, went inside a sub chamber in our cottage where she sleeps and came back with a mirror
She placed it infront of me,,, took my tangled hair into her hands and started doing her magic,,, at least this soothed me a little …
" For how long are you going to keep it in,,, I know your father was dear to you,,, so was he to me….. he was my suna( brother)
You're sixteen years now, please let your heart heal.,..
"Makuna,,, my hearts has healed , but this nightmare appears when it exactly the day Baba ...…i couldn't even find the word,,, it was just death, just that
" come here child,,she pulled me into a tight hug, her hug was so warm and comforting
This was all that I needed,,, and I'm grateful,,, she is the only family member that I have..
" come,, I have prepared you a bath ,,, freshen up and come for breakfast …
I went into our bathing room,,, it wasn't that spacious but it does for a two…
Things inside here are mainly made of natural materials , mostly branches and leaves well crafted.
My Makuna has a special way of making every bath lively
The air was fresh, filled with the scent of sage and sweetgrass. A small stream ran beneath the structure , providing a gentle gurgle and a natural cleaning system.The floor was made of smooth stones, worn by generations of footsteps ….
In a little further lies a tobacco, my Makuna's favorite,,, and not only her,,, it's really popular and fancied here.
Did I told you about cleansing,,, yes this place was use for cleaning ,especially because of the nature made fountain , it's a connection to Mother Nature….
It took what felt like hours before I came back from the bathing room to only find aunty peacefully sleep…..
"Ooh goodness, how I wish this upon her to have sleep more often""...
I had something light from the dining table,
took the beads inside the pot and went out of the hat
I went down the river and saw the people I've been craving to see
" Now that's my favorite girl "" ,,, Ayla exclaimed
Ayla has been my best friend since childhood,,, she's always been like a sister to me
It's so sad her mother passed away,,, her only source of comfort
Now we both confide in each other
I always tell her how bright she is and in turn she will say
" Naka wa yi Nia" that means thank you, and you are as bright as I am,,, although most people don't see me that way
As if I really care
"Heyyyy....y there comes the man among us,,,
Shut up Nalani,, why are you always picking up on my dearest friend, huh???
"Yeah,,, that was Ayla,,, she is always ready to fight for me
" oooh ooh my,, Ayla what have I done,,,am I not saying the obvious fact,,, see you're making me look bad,",,, she faked this pitiful look that mostly people fall for, that's her charm
" Now how far have you gone,,Nalani??? I
questioned
She quickly casted her eyes down her hands seeing the awful combination she has created with the beads
"Now I'm sure no man is going to marry you Nalani",,,, I said nonchalantly
Well enough of the bomber girls, please come and have a seat
"Girls this is today's combination for the bead work,, please do well to follow the pattern as you've seen laid down
"Sure Makuna Hawa" we all said in unison
Makuna Hawa was our instructor
She teaches young ladies in this village how to make beads,,
And the beads are wore during marriage consummation
There were chatter and laughter everywhere
Once everyone was done,, they all departed to their various homes living behind Ayla and Nalani,,, my gossip partners
Ayla started undressing, discarding every pieces of clothes on her body,,, revealing her God sent heavy curvy body,,, she was perfect
She quickly went inside the river…
Come on girls,,, it's cold
We also did the same thing,,, undressing and finding our way into the river,,,
The feeling was a sheer bliss
I was really feeling it,, the water felt so calm and comforting beneath my skin,,, the feeling was so surreal
Hey,,,have you thought of any guy in our village, Nalani nodgede me
" Not really",,, I simply answered her
Ooh come on dear, haven't you see how Toron have been eyeing you,,, that guy seems to be into you,,, give him a chance, you make a great couple
" Not under the heavens will I fall for Toron,,, he is out of my league ", I chipped in
Oooh I trust my girl,,, Ayla was grinning from ear to ear,,, this girl is really something
"What of you Nalani,,, do you have someone in mind,,"Ayla throwed the question back at her
"Well one man has been in my heart,,, that I wish to make mine ,,, but his name is forbidden,,, not spoken of
" Then I suddenly felt this chill run down my spine",,, it was him , Kario
It's not surprising Nalani is into him,,, all the women in our village fantasize about him, both young and old
Five years ago he disappeared,, not to be seen,,, but his shadow still lurks in the dark…..
He is the most feared,,, unspoken of, there is always whispers about him,,, and those who saw him said he looks like a beast.
Not that he was ugly or something
But because he is fierce and merciless
People fear, for whoever mentions his name brings upon a calamity onto themselves ..
Even his family members refuses to mention his name
It is rumored that he took his own father's life and that why he disappeared
************
It was exactly day break,,, when the news of Udaka(king) sudden departure hit us hard on the face.
The palace courtyard lay shrouded in an unsettling stillness. The air was heavy with the scent of incense and sorrow….
Outside, the sky grey dark, as if the heavens themselves are mourning the loss of their mighty ruler
There was sounds, drums cry,, indicating the passing of a great one…..
And as if the king's death wasn't a shock enough,, the palace messager carried a message..
"Kario is the culprit ", he murdered our great King, his own father Udaka
The shock and terror on the villagers face was eminent ,,, then whispers begun to accumulate among the people,,, there were noises
Then we saw the palace guards dragging Kario to the heart of the village
He looked terrible from all the blood coming out from his body…..
But I saw something that buffles me the most,,, he didn't fight back…..
He just stood there,,, his eyes empty as if he has lost his soul with the departure of his father
Whiles others sympathizes and pitied him,,, others were screaming their lungs out….
" Kill him,,, he deserves to die",, a monster of such can't be with us,,, we won't accept him as our ruler
While I was out of words myself,,, something caught my gaze,,, he was staring at me,,, there was something in his eyes
As if his Dahani was fighting to break through,,, but he simply wouldn't allow it
And then he shifted his gaze quickly
This was strange,,, I thought to myself
Something inside, just something inside me sympathize with him,,, but I didn't let that feeling linger that much
Then they dragged him into this cage,, it was made of copper,,, yeah, perfectly made to suppress his inner power
That cage was what they used to punish people with high inner powers that normal cells couldn't hold
It burns the skin the moment the body touches the iron bars
He barely put out a fight, unlike the Kario that I know,,, something didn't feel right
The next morning the guards came to see a lifeless body inside the cage,,, some said it wasn't him because Kario wouldn't die easily
And at some point, I was in parity with them cuz he holds the highest Dahani ( powers) in
our village,, and again the face didn't look like Kario's,,, the body structure didn't look like his
He was tall, thick with broader shoulders
And some also said it was him,, there was a birthmark on the body,,, so practically it was him
And since the face couldn't be recognized,, it was ruled that it was Kario
Back to the present
"Nalani, do you wish to marry a ghost,,, someone who died almost five years ago,, Ayla scoffed
"Well I don't believe that Ayla,,,, he is still alive,, she reassured herself.... a hope that didn't feel right
And I don't blame her,,, it wasn't truly confirmed that it was him, the face wasn't recognized
And there are rumors,,, whispers that he is still alive,, that's from people who claim they've seen him
it's banned to talk about him....
"Nia,, what do you think,,, Nalani asked
I simply shrugged
" I don't care about that treacherous monster""
"I hate him with my whole being"
Poor Nia,,, who on this earth hates a handsome man like Kario,,, Nalani frowned
That's how you see it, not me Nalani
If he was the last man to be alive,,, I would rather stay single and die with my Makuna,, than to engage with him.....
"Ohk girls, enough of Kario", Ayla broke in between our bickering
I've got someone to meet,, I will take my leave first
Nalani and I looked at Ayla astonishingly,,,
" oh girl,, since when????
We both exclaimed
" oohk ohk,,, you will meet him at the bonfire tonight,, I will introduce him to you guys
She simply said
"We can't wait to see him tonight,,, right Nia???
Nalani winked at me
"Yeah,, right girl ""...…
So they both left,,, leaving me by myself
And while I was busy enjoying myself,,, I heard this faint scratching sound coming from my back….
I quickly looked up,, searching at the corner of my eyes to see who possibly could be there
" then it felt as if someone was watching me from behind,,, that frightened me
The mere thought of someone invading my private moments sent chills down my spine,,,
Who could that be??
" Is somebody there,,, well I felt like saying that,,, then I saw this cute little rabbit coming out of the bush
Ooh goodness,,, you really scared me little rabbit,, I said triumphantly
But deep down I didn't feel right…..
I came ashore,, hurriedly put on my abani,, and the thin fabric that I used to wrap around my breast….
I walked quickly back home,,,, trying to push my uneasiness somewhere far away
When I reached our hat,, aunty was cutting some fire woods
I saw how fragile she has become
Her leg wobbles,,, hands shaking
" Makuna,,, let me help you",,, she handed the axe to me
Oooh dear Makuna,,, you got to rest,,,
Thank you child,,, your aunt is really growing old… she laughed,, but it didn't reach her eyes
What she said was true,,, aging was really catching up to her
"If I die,, who is going to take care of this stubborn child for me,,, no one will take in a girl who always wear abani and refuses to wear keke
" please don't say that Makuna,,, plus I don't need anyone to take care of me", you 're there
"Makuna!
" Yes my child,,, is there a problem "
I will be attending tonight's bonfire
" ooow I see,,, is there someone that I don't know, who is that boy,, tell me child...
She was so happy to hear me attending the bonfire
" Makuna, don't be happy yet,, there is no man,,, I just feel like I should attend today,,,
" Ohk child, you are free to go…..
She really didn't know,, did she???
I thought to myself
The day passed by quickly
There it was, night fall
I went inside the bathing room to clean myself
Took out of my nicely made Abani,,, put it on,,, applied little of vanilla and rose oil,,, did my hair,,, applied some shea butter on my body to add a little glow to my skin and I was finally ready to go
I didn't forgot my chino leaf,,, well it serve as mouth wash,,, it gives you this minty breath, it so good…
I placed one inside my mouth…. I was finally done
"Makuna,,, I'm leaving "" ,,, I told her so she would be aware I wasn't in the hat before her manopaus kicks in
"Come dear,, let me look at you,,, she dragged me infront of her
Here, take this,,, this will add to the final look
Thanks Makuna
It was a hair clip